The Great War
by kylar2313
Summary: After the Insurrection, humanity thought it could be at peace at last. However, in a far-flung world called Harvest, an alien empire stumbled upon humanity and began a war of genocide. The Great War tells the story of the Human Covenant War from the perspectives of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the UNSC Defense Force. Non Canon Story. Rated T. Please review
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **

**Hey people. This is my first fanfiction. I have been reading Halo fanfiction since five years ago and I suddenly got this inspiration to write about the events of the Human Covenant War from the perspectives of many different characters from the Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force of the United Nations Space Command. This story will be set in an alternate universe as I want to make the battles in the Human Covenant War larger and more exciting. I will be using the same weapons, vehicles and equipment in the Halo series, and the outcome of most events will be unchanged. Some canonic characters will be featured in this story either as protagonists or minor characters. Please review if you find a mistake in my story. Thank you. **

**Prologue**

**16th December 2569**

**New York, Earth**

It has been sixteen long years since the Great War ended. Humanity has now rebuilt itself into one of the most powerful interstellar nations ever seen in the galaxy. More powerful even than the Covenant Empire during the height of its power during the Great War, humanity now controls over two thousand worlds in the Orion Complex of the Milky Way galaxy. We have destroyed the remnants of the Covenant, crippled the Sangheili's capabilities to make war, and even defeated an ancient Forerunner warrior. This is a time of peace and of happiness, and yet I cannot feel any of this.

I supposed this is due to my participation in the Great War and the war with the Covenant Remnant and Forerunner Prometheans. Gosh, I still dreamed about those years. The brutality of the Covenant soldiers in the Great War, the all devouring Flood, the destruction wracked by the Forerunner Promethean Didact. I could not get all these out of my head.

About two months ago, I read a book entitled Flags of Our Fathers. It is a story about a group of Marines who raised a flag on Iwo Jima in the Second World War more than six hundred years ago. Then it suddenly hit me. Maybe I can write a book narrating the Great War. After all, I still have my old skills from my Literature major, and I have been writing occasionally since the wars ended.

The search for sources proved more difficult than I expected. You see, the Great War began in 2525. That is almost forty four years ago. Even back when I was a Marine platoon leader in the Great War, I have never met or heard of anyone who participated in the first battles of the Human Covenant War and survived till the end of the war. It takes a special kind of people to do that, people who are skilled enough or lucky enough. I pulled some favors from Office of Naval Intelligence as these people are extremely hard to find. Those spooks maybe a kind of good evil, but they never forget a favor. They also thinks that revealing the whole war in a book can boost public support for the military, which has been waning over the past two years. Well, what can you do about it? Civilians love the military when there is a war but hate them when there is none. Two months went by. I attended several ONI briefings on what to write and what not to write. ONI is still their usual paranoid self. Finally, they found one guy, only _one_, a Marine Special Operator, who was present during the first contact with the Covenant Empire and also managed to survive the entire war. Captain Phil Jackson(retired). I read through his very impressive Career Service Vitae. What a guy!

Phil Jackson is currently living in an apartment in suburban New York with his wife of forty years. He has two middle aged children and several grandchildren. After the war, he continued his career as a Special Warfare advisor in the UNSC Training and Doctrine Command, training young ODSTs and Marine Special Operators to fight our enemies or adapting and reviewing equipment and tactics. Phil retired ten years ago, and since then he has been living in New York.

When I entered his apartment (I contacted him beforehand so he wouldn't shoot me when I arrived at his doorstep unannounced), he sat me down on the sofa in the living room and stared at me intently. Even at sixty six years old, Phil still have a sharpness and strength that make him seem twenty years younger. After a moment of silence as we sized each other up, Phil broke the ice and said, "Commander, you are in Spartans right?" I started and looked at him in surprise. I didn't tell him that particular piece of information. How did he know?

"Oh, don't look so surprised. I have met Spartans before, you know. Only they can move as fluidly and as fast as you do. Especially the Master Chief and SPARTAN-B312. They saved my life during the Harvest campaign and on Reach. Who can ever forget them?" Phil smiled. "So, you want me to tell you about my time in the Great War." I nodded and took out my data pad to record the interview. Best to have a backup even though I have a photographic memory.

Phil turned his head and looked out the window. He had that far-off stare I associated with remembering things from the war and suddenly he looked old again. He took a deep breath and started talking.

"Best start this before the war, back when humans still fought against humans. The Insurrection. I entered spec ops when I was twenty and participated in the final stages of Operation: TREBUCHET. It was the year 2524, We were on Eridanus II, preparing for the final assault on Elysium City. Elysium City was the capital city of the Insurrection. We had taken all other Insurrectionist worlds, and if we take Elysium City, we end the war. Insurrection Command was holed up in a secure place in the city and our company was ordered to wipe them out.

"It was a dark night..."


	2. Chapter 1: The End of the Insurrection

**Section I: Life Between Two Wars**

**Chapter 1: The End of the Insurrection**

**Staff Sergeant Phil Jackson**

**Marine Special Operations Team Anvil Three**

**Anvil Company, 1st Battalion**

**24th Marine Special Operations Regiment**

**UNSC Marine Corps Special Operations Command**

**2145 hours, March 21st 2524**

**Just outside Elysium City**

**Eridanus II, Eridanus System**

It was a dark night, the darkest I had ever seen in my entire life. The spooks said that this was because of the planetary alignment with the star Eridanus II. All of the planets in this system aligned in one straight line with the star, preventing the light from reaching this planet. I didn't care about all these scientific stuff. Just leave it to the spooks and the scientists. Me, I was a boot on the ground, a Marine Special Operator, a sniper.

My team and I were laying on the ground on top of a cliff on the south side of Elysium City overlooking the city. I was in front, as usual, with Gunnery Sergeant Jade Abnett, the other sniper of Anvil Three. We had been looking at the enemy defenses below us for three hours, memorizing patrol routes and what kind of defenses we should expect. Not that we had to engage the enemy here, but it helped to be careful in case things went FUBAR.

"Fifteen minutes." Came the calm voice of Captain Ponder, Anvil Three's commanding officer and a damn good one at that. The Captain had been a veteran of the Insurrection since its beginning in 2492, and had served with Anvil Three for the last two years as our CO.

I touched Jade's shoulder, indicating that I was going to take a short rest, then turned and looked carefully at my teammates. All of them were in full armor, but I could recognize them from their body language and size. Captain Ponder, at five foot eight, was laying right behind me, the tilt of his head telling me he was listening to the radio. His executive officer, First Lieutenant Hasegawa, born in Tokyo and raised on Reach, was beside him, looking at our route on his TACPAD. Team medic Petty Officer First Class Connor was busily packing and unpacking his medical kit, knowing that in the coming battle he would have to reach the biofoam cans or pseudomorphine kits fast. Behind them were the two fireteam leaders. My fireteam leader, Master Sergeant Avery Johnson, was a cynical man who was in black ops and had a liking for flip music. He cared about us a lot, even though he never admitted it. The other fireteam leader, Master Sergeant Nolan Bryne, was an Irish, as indicated by his extremely heavy accent. He was the largest man in our team and a brutal fighter and served in black ops together with Johnson, sharing the same cynical personality with Johnson but much grimmer.

Next I looked at my fireteam. Heavy weapons specialist Sergeant Oliver Brown was from Reach. He had been part of Anvil Three for only six months, but had proven himself a rock in the face of the challenges we had met even though he was nineteen year old. Gunnery Sergeant Naveen Kumar was the second-in-command of the fireteam. At five feet and one, he was the shortest member of our team. A normally quiet and focused person, when he got angry you wouldn't want to stand in his path. The other rifleman in the fireteam was Staff Sergeant Robert Langdon. We used to tease him about being named after a fictional story character created five hundred years ago, but after recent events when he proved himself nearly as brilliant as the original Robert Langdon, we stopped. And lastly, the craziest ODST in our team, probably in the whole battalion, Sergeant Alexander Martinez. When he first joined us a year ago, he was totally insane. After all, his entire unit, the 21st Shock Troops Battalion, was completely wiped out in the battle of Mamore and he was the only survivor. He always had the craziest of ideas, though we rarely went through with them. It made us wonder why he wasn't washed out of the Corps. Then we found out why. Using just three blocks of C-12 explosives and some ingenious design which funneled the explosion into something bigger, he managed to bring down a one-hundred story tall building onto an armored convoy we were running from on Mamore. Nobody else could had done that.

In the other fireteam, rifleman Sergeant Albert Willis was the most optimistic guy I had ever seen. He always downplayed things when things were getting deadly serious and always managed to lift our spirits at the right time. The second largest guy in the team, Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto was an all-rounder, though he usually used heavy weapons. He was one of the most skilled ODSTs I had ever seen, even more so than Master Sergeants Johnson and Bryne. Demolition expert Staff Sergeant Vasily Carver was only slightly less talented than Martinez in the art of blowing things up, but he always get the job done. He was also the fastest man I had ever seen, which was why we usually let him go on point during CQB. He could drop enemies faster than the blink of an eye. Jade, the other sniper and my spotter (or my sniper, depending on the occasion and whether who won the bet), was my mentor in the art of sniping. She had a smile that could melt a man's heart and a personality of a fine woman but somehow she was still single at the age of thirty three. I suspect it was because her husband, a Naval Captain, was slain in battle nearly seven years ago. At the moment, she was fast becoming one of my best friends. The last guy in the team was a mystery. Sergeant Mark Troy was as old as I was, but his CSV contained so much black ink that I had no doubt he was involved in some really shady stuff. But he was a decent guy, efficient and a good soldier, who maintained a distant but good relationship with us.

"Five minutes." I blinked, startled, and looked at my mission clock to confirm. Damn, I had been daydreaming for ten minutes. Lately, I had this tendency to go into contemplation right before we were about to go on. I turned and looked at Jade, who depolarized her faceplate and smiled at me knowingly.

"Anvil Three, this is Anvil Actual. Do you copy?" Anvil Actual was Major Aboim, the commanding officer of Anvil Company.

"Anvil Actual, this is Anvil Three. I copy. What is the ETA on Operation: Dragonfall?"

"Operation: Dragonfall will commence in eight minutes. There has been a slight holdup from the Navy. We will wait for the bombardment then move in. Anvil Actual out." Came the reply.

Of course the Navy was late to the party. They had lost more than a hundred ships while trying to wrestle control of space around Eridanus II, and nearly twenty of those were lost to anti-space weapons placed in and around Elysium City. They were reluctant to send any more ships to bombard Elysium from space, so the Marines were sent in to destroy the weapons. As a result, Operation: Dragonfall, a full scale assault on Elysium City, was conceived. The operation called for all Marine and Naval forces on the planet to attack Elysium City from all directions, except from the south where the mountains were too high and the cliffs too sheer for any assault to be effective. The south would be where Anvil Company would sneak into Elysium City.

I checked my equipment again. I had five weapons, the SRS-99C AM sniper rifle, the M392 DMR, the M7/S SMG, the M6C/SOCOM pistol and my trusty old knife I carried since I enlisted in the Marines one and a half years ago. Beside and behind me, I could sense a flurry of activity as my teammates carried out some final preparations.

"Time's up. Where is the bombardment?" Johnson whispered. We all stopped whatever we were doing and listened. There was a faint whisper in the wind, which sounded exactly like...

Through our thermal vision, we could see hundreds of Longswords, Hornets and Sparrowhawks attack aircraft appear in the night sky. In the distance, thunder flashed and seconds later, all the edges of Elysium City disappeared in smoke and explosions. The sound of artillery firing and explosions reached us moments later and our armor automatically dampened the sounds, making it less uncomfortable for us to hear.

The Hornets and Sparrowhawks swooped down from the skies and attacked the anti aircraft defenses while the Longswords carpet bombed the areas where the Marines would be pushing into. I could see several UNSC aircraft bursting into flames and several parachutes appearing the sky. We would be sent to rescue those pilots after we completed our mission, I knew, and tried to note where those parachutes landed.

"Innie forces on the south side are moving." Jade noted. I swept my scope across the southern edge of the city and sure enough, all the Innie forces were piling into vehicles and moving north to the oncoming battle.

"Anvil Company, this is Anvil Actual. Prepare to move into city. On my mark, ten, nine, eight, seven, six...three, two, one. Go! Go! Go!"

As one, we tied our ropes and rappelled down the cliff. When we landed, I quickly looked at the city edge, checking if anyone saw us coming in. No alarms sounded, no tell-tale flash of a sniper scope. Nothing. I waved the all-clear and moved in front of the rest of the team with Jade, our DMRs in front of us. We walked into the city proper, moving from shadow to shadow, hiding whenever our thermal scopes detected an Innie patrol, which was a rare occasion since all the Innie forces this side of town went north to fight our forces.

The city of Elysium was typical of colonial cities. Well planned, the city was built in square blocks and straight roads. The layout was also predictable. The government and the finance district would be located at the centre of the city. The target we were going to attack would be there. After entering the city, We marched through the housing district, where high rise towers and colonial style homes lined the streets.

Each of the six Anvil Teams had a different entry point into the city to minimize the risk of detection. We were set to rendezvous at Lombardi Street, five hundred meters from the Innie command center where it was confirmed by an Innie defector that the Insurrection Command was holed up in. Lombardi Street opened into a square and directly in front of that opening was the Innie command center.

After an hour of sneaking and hiding, we arrived at the RV point, a small abandoned house on the corner of Lombardi Street. Anvil One, Two and Six were already there, and fifteen minutes later, Anvil Four and Five arrived. No casualties and nothing excited happened to any of them. Major Aboim called a meeting with all five team leaders, while the rest of us set up a perimeter or study our target. I climbed to the roof and looked across the square at the grand mansion acting as the Innie command center. The mansion grounds were fenced, of course, with machine gun nests at intervals around the grounds. Snipers patrolled the roofs while on the ground squad-sized patrols paced. Huge searchlights lined the fence, sweeping back and forth across the square. The building was less heavily guarded than I expected. Using my thermal scope, I spotted only fifty guards in the compound and in the house. A small complement for a mansion as big as a UNSC prowler.

"This doesn't look right." Bryne muttered.

"Yeah, it looks too easy. I don't remember the Innies being so goddamn easy."Johnson agreed.

"Well, maybe the Innie generals felt secure here."Willis replied, his body language speaking volumes about his eagerness to go in.

"Look, kid. Bryne and I served in black ops for ten years. Do you know how many times we hunted these Innie generals? Five times. Five times we found them and they managed to slip away every single time. These guys are resourceful, have good survival instincts. I know in my heart this one wouldn't be so easy. So be prepared for anything, got it?" Johnson said. We all looked at each other and nodded, knowing we had each other's back.

In the distance, Sounds from the heavy fighting between UNSC and Innie forces grew closer and closer. Occasionally, we tuned into the battle net and received reports that UNSC forces had successfully pushed four kilometers into the city on all fronts. Tens of thousands of Innie troops had already surrendered and more had been killed. I took comfort in the fact that even if we failed this operation, we would still gain victory, albeit in a costlier manner.

Captain Ponder and the COs held their meeting for half an hour before they briefed us.

"Anvil Company, listen up. Anvil One, Two, Three and Four will be the assault force. We will move into the mansion under cover of sniper and machine gun fire. Take out the patrolling guards then move in. Anvil One and Two will take the left side while Anvil Three and Four will take right. We work our way upstairs and take out everyone. Anvil Five, hunker down here and provide sniper and machine gun fire. Your job is to take out those snipers and machine gun nests and prevent anyone from escaping through the front doors. Any aircraft or vehicles come to the Innie's aid, blow them up. Anvil Six, move around the mansion to the back and act as containment. No one escapes through the back doors. Is everything clear, ladies and gentlemen?"

We flashed our affirmative lights. Anvil Six started moving out first. They had a longer way to go. The rest of us checked our equipment one last time while Anvil Five moved up to the second floor and set up their weapons.

"Alright, let's move. Silent as death." We moved out of the house, silent as shadows, dodging the searchlights, but making headway across the square. We were about a hundred meters from the mansion when Anvil Five opened fire. Through my thermal scope, I saw bodies dropping at a very fast rate at the fence and on the rooftop. Those Anvil Five boys sure were efficient.

Soon enough, Anvil Five sent us the all-clear and we moved up to the fence, bringing out our thermite paste to cut through them.

"Heads up, Innie patrol moving to you from the left side. Engaging target."

I looked to the left just in time to see the patrol moving around the corner then dropping to the ground.

"Anvil Three, take the front doors. Anvil One and two will take the wall on the left side. Anvil Four go to the right wall."

We flattened ourselves against the wall beside the massive double doors while Naveen set up his explosive charges. Nodding at each other to assure we were ready, Captain Ponder gave a squeeze on Naveen's shoulder.

Boom. The front doors were made of an extremely hard wood originally found on Reach, but the explosives blew through it like it was paper. Vasily moved in first, his hand a blur of motion, already taking down the three surprised Innies in the hallway. Marvin walked in next, his LMG punching holes in the walls and killing the Innies in the guardrooms to the left and right of the entrance hall.

As planned, my team moved left into the main passage way, clearing each room, killing any Insurrectionist troops we found. The security guards were clearly taken by surprise, as some of them didn't even have armor on when we engaged them. It was far too easy, and we cleared the ground floor and the first floor in less than ten minutes.

"Anvil Actual, this is Anvil Five. Three heat signatures on the third floor in the middle. Must be the Innie generals."

Major Aboim quickly marked the heat signatures as our primary targets. We began moving up to the third floor.

Vasily and I were the first ones on the third floor. It was then that I felt something wrong. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. I squeezed Vasily's shoulder to stop him and he gave me a puzzled look. I knew what he was going to say. He was going to say that this floor was clear. I shook my head and gestured for them to listen. And they did. At first, there was nothing. Then there came the sound of an armored boot shuffling slightly. We looked in the direction of the sound. It came from inside the first room to the left. We looked through our thermal scopes. Nothing.

"Anvil Actual, this is Anvil Three. Be advised, additional enemy forces on third floor detected. They are cloaked against thermal vision. Over."

"Anvil Three, roger that. Clear each room until you reach the targets."

Captain Ponder gestured for Anvil Four to take the east facing room while we took the west one.

Vasily quickly place a small charge on the door and held up his hand. Three, two, one.

The door blew in and we moved in quickly. The room we entered was a massive room, with a lot of furniture We searched for targets but we found nothing at first. this time it wasn't that easy. The Innies in the room anticipated our entrance. They suddenly popped up behind cover and opened fire.

We quickly ducked behind whatever cover we could find, tables, sofa, shelves and returned fire. When I raised my head to take some shots at the Innies, I got hit. Bullets pinged on my armor and rebounded. I cursed and ducked back down again. These Innies weren't standard infantry, they were something else. But who?

My question was answered a moment later when Major Aboim called in.

"All Anvil Teams, be careful. These guys are rogue ODSTs from Colonel Watts' unit."

I cursed again and motioned for Jade to pulled out her flashbang. We nodded and threw the flashbang over our heads in the general direction of where the Innie spec ops troops were firing at us. Bang, bang. We quickly opened fire and managed to hit a few, maybe even dropping one. These guys were good, very good, but we were even better.

The firefight lasted for nearly fifteen minutes. We had some injuries, but luckily nothing serious. My armor was dented from the hits I took at the beginning of the firefight. It was the same for the others. Some of them had scratches from close calls, but nothing that could impede us.

"Anvil Actual, primary targets are still in the same place. Suggest you move fast to secure them sir."

"Anvil Three, you heard him. Let's move." Captain Ponder grunted.

Vasily took point again, while I walked behind him. It was the longest five minutes of my life. Clearing each room, we found no more ambushers. The way was all clear to the room where the three Innie generals were hiding in. We reached the doors to the room at the same time.

"Ready to make history, boys? Major Aboim said. We nodded. Major Aboim kicked down the doors and we moved in.

I was expecting a last stand from the Innie generals, possibly with spec ops guards, but instead the Innie generals just sat on their chairs in the middle of the room, facing away from the door. We kept our weapons on them and moved to stand in front of them.

The three generals, Howard Graves, John Kim and Ruslan Baluyevsky stared at us, all three with different expressions on their faces. Defiance was written on Graves' face, while the shame of defeat and tiredness was on the other two.

"As the highest ranking commander of UNSC forces in this location, I hereby place you, Howard Graves, John Kim and Ruslan Baluyevsky under arrest. Any act of resistance will be deemed hostile and will be treated with deadly force." Major Aboim said and nodded to us. The formalities over, we roughly stood the generals up and handcuffed them.

Suddenly Baluyevsky dropped to the ground, his mouth foaming, his body in spasms. We all rushed to him, but I knew it was too late even as the medics pronounced him dead. Seemingly shocked by his comrade's death, Graves backed into an alcove and placed his hand on one of the lamps lining the wall. Sensing something wrong, Captain Ponder shouted a warning. Graves laughed at us and pulled the handle down. The alcove dropped, a titanium plate already dropping onto it, covering the floor.

"Shit, shit, shit." Bryne roared as he fired at the floor to no avail. Captain Ponder squeezed his shoulder and shook his head. We would catch him next time, the silent promise said. Next time.

"The bastard! The damn bastard killed Ruslan!" Kim roared angrily. "The asshole gave Ruslan a poisoned wine to drink before you came in." He suddenly calmed down and sighed sadly. "I will surrender the Insurrection. "He suddenly said. "I am tired of this war. I don't want any of my boys to die in battle again. Put me in prison, give me the death sentence. I don't care."

Major Aboim took off his helmet. "Are you surrendering, General? " He said, barely containing the delight in his voice. We knew we would end the war if we took out these generals, but some elements of the Insurrectionists would still continue to fight. However, if this guy signed an unconditional surrender, then all of the Insurrection must surrender too. We wouldn't have to waste a lot of time hunting down the remnants of hardliner Innies.

"Yes, I am surrendering." Kim muttered and picked up the radio set on the table. He took a deep breath and started to say. "Men and women of the Insurrection, this is General Kim. We have fought long and hard, fought for our ideals, fought to gain a better future for our people. Will historians in the future look back and say we are heroes for fighting against tyranny? Or say that we are fools? Or will they say we are the ones who have the courage to end a war that already cost millions of lives?"

"Today, I am ordering all Insurrectionist units to cease fire and surrender to UNSC forces. This is the end, my brothers and sisters. We have fought bravely, and now we deserved our rest. This is my last order as commander of the Insurrection. General Kim out." He put the radio set and breathed deeply.

"There, tell all UNSC forces to cease fire too."

"Alright, Ironhead, this is Anvil Actual. Insurrectionist Command had just surrendered unconditionally. Get our forces to cease fire and began POW processing."

"Anvil Actual, this is Ironhead. Copy that. All units, this is Ironhead. Cease fire, cease fire. Insurrectionist forces have surrendered. Congratulations, gentlemen. We have won the war."

In the distance, the sound of gunfire suddenly stopped. I suddenly realized it was the quietest moment I have ever known in one and a half years of war. There was no celebration, no victory ceremony. It was that simple. The war ended like that. Strangely, I felt no joy. I felt nothing, just a sort of emptiness within me.

Suddenly, I was faced with the prospect of a peaceful life. The Insurrection had been present all my life, now when it has ended, I didn't know what to do. Some of my teammates took off their helmets and stared into the distance while others fidgeted with their gear. For the first time in many years, we could relax. Problem was we didn't know how to relax. Decades of warfare had done that to us.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, boys. Langdon found a wine cellar in the basement. Follow me." A grinning Johnson entered the room where Anvil Three were resting and said. We quickly stood up and followed him. Sure enough, there was a lot of wine bottles in the cellar, probably because the Innie generals liked to drink. After helping ourselves to the wine, we sat down in a circle and remained silent for a few moments, each person immersed in his own thoughts.

Finally, it was Captain Ponder who broke the silence. "I would like to propose a toast." He stood up and we followed suit, raising our glasses.

"To our fallen comrades, we will cherish the good memories we had with you. To our families, we will be going back soon. To our teammates, we will always stay friends together. To the future, we will stride forward and triumph in our lives."

The Captain drained his cup and sat back down. I sipped slowly, savoring the taste of the wine.

Making my decision.

I will stride forward and triumph. No matter the odds.

**Author's Note: **

**Thanks for the review, Brother Sergeant Rafen. **

**For those who read my story, thank you for reading. I will like to clarify that the previous edition of this chapter uploaded a week ago was taken down because it was actually a draft, not the final version. This chapter does not contain much action, it was meant to depict the end of the Outer Colonies Insurrection and the impact it has on the soldiers who participated in it, especially Phil Jackson. Next chapter will find Phil back on Reach, trying to cope with peace and then the beginning of the Venezian Insurrection. I will upload it next week hopefully. **

**This story is set in an alternate universe. The weapons, vehicles, ships and equipment used will still be the same, and the outcomes of most events will remain the same as well. Some characters from the original Halo universe will be featured either as protagonists or minor characters. The plot will be subdivided into several sections, each section featuring a new protagonist. Protagonists will be from all branches of the UNSC Defense Force, each involved with a different kind of warfare.  
**

**As always, please point out any mistakes I make and thank you for reading again. **

**God bless you all. Kylar out. **


	3. Chapter 2: A New Kind of War

**Chapter II: A New Kind of War**

**Staff Sergeant Phil Jackson**

**Marine Special Operations Team Anvil Three**

**Anvil Company, 1st Battalion**

**24th Marine Special Operations Regiment**

**UNSC Marine Corps Special Operations Command**

**0630 hours, May 13 2524**

**New Alexandria**

**Reach, Epsilon Eridani System**

** "**You sure about this? One hundred percent sure, Connor?"

"Yeah, of course I am sure. I bet you a hundred credits that I am right."

"Don't Phil. I don't like that confidence on Connor's face."

"Alright. One hundred credits it is."

"Yes! Switch to channel three on the battle net."

I switched to channel three on my datapad, which was currently showing every important news from every corner of the human empire. Ignoring Connor's chuckle, I scrolled down the page and found the news Connor was talking about. Hardly suppressing a groan, I read the news from the UNSC Security Council out loud.

"As of May 13 2524, all UNSC forces are to remain on alert and will not be allowed to return to their homes. The reason for this is that Insurrectionist forces are still active under the command of General Graves and Colonel Watts." I threw the datapad across the room, frustrated that after two months of patrolling worlds with no contact with Innies, we were still not allowed to go home. Not that I still had any living family left after the Innies massacred them all. I just wanted a small break from military life.

"It is ok. After another two or three months, the brass will let us go home. It is true what they said, Graves and Watts did threaten to continue waging war against us." Jade reminded me.

"They don't need all of us to contain the remnants. We could still rest." I grumbled.

"You forget, we are Tier One spec ops. Besides, better that we finish them off now than have another war again." Connor said.

"Alright, alright. Say we go home in two months. Are you guys staying in the Corps?" I conceded.

Jade and Connor exchanged looks. I understood them. After all, even I hadn't decided whether I was going to stay in the military.

"I don't know, mate. I mean we don't exactly have any qualifications other than the ones we earn here right? I know there are a lot of jobs out there, but I can't think of anyone willing to hire someone from the military with no other skill set. But then the brass is sure to cut a lot of budget, and that means a lot of us are receiving a discharge too. At the moment I am staying, but who knows what will happen to us in the future?" Connor said slowly.

I nodded slowly. Our discussion was interrupted when Johnson came into the mess hall, a big grin on his face.

"Hello, ladies. Up so early?"

"What's up, Sarge? What is making you so happy?" Jade replied.

"We are going to the War Games today. Brass has decided that the team which wins today's Games will be chosen for the next high risk mission. So suit up and get ready. If we win this, we go back to the war. No more patrols, no more training. Good day, ladies." Whistling a tune from his favorite flip music, Johnson walked to the mess counter and took out a plate of chow.

I quickly ate my breakfast and ran off towards my tent. It was going to be a good day.

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"Good morning Anvil Three." One hour and fifteen minutes later, we were standing in a briefing tent in the training grounds of Camp Alexandria when Captain Ponder and Hasegawa entered the tent.

"The War Games today will be a hostage rescue. Bombmaster Six and Charlemagne Four will be acting as the terrorists holding twenty two hostages. They will be in this diner here besides the highway. There is a comms tower about two hundred meters northwest. Jade and Phil can set up there. The rest of the team will go over the hill behind the diner and hit them from behind. Terrorists will be armed with assault rifles and light machine guns. Possibly one or two RPG launchers. Any questions?"

"Who will be acting as the hostages sir?"Mobuto asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Anderson and some of his staff. They will be evaluating our performance so watch your fire." Hasegawa replied.

"Check your gear. We are moving out in five minutes."

After finishing our preparations, we mounted the Hornet light attack gunships outside. The Hornets flew at twenty meters above the ground at its maximum speed, three hundred kilometers per hour. As we approached the diner, we swung west and into the hills to avoid being seen.

"Two minutes." The Hornet's pilot shouted over the roar of the engines.

We quickly clipped ourselves to the rope harnesses on the Hornets as the Hornets began to slow down and then came to a sudden and abrupt stop in a small valley which was hidden from sight by the hills to the west of the diner. We rappelled down and secured the area. Jade and I moved to the north towards the tower.

The tower we were climbing was nearly twelve floors high. After setting up my sniper rifle on top, I could see why Captain Ponder wanted us up there. A sniper could cover a whole twenty square kilometers area from the top of that tower.

"Hmm, Jade. Who won our last bet?" I asked her, a little distracted by the beautiful landscape I was looking at.

"Did we make that bet?" Her surprised tone turned me around.

"We didn't? Alright, last time you were on sniper duty so this time it is my turn."

She shrugged, knowing there wasn't much difference anyway. We were both extremely skilled at this.

"Captain Ponder. We are set up on the tower. You guys ready?"

"Jade, marking targets for you. Do you see that machine gunner on the rooftop and the two guys on the front doors? There is also another five other guys loitering near the back doors. Those are priority."

I quickly flashed my green light. Using my thermal scope, I did the same for them, marking the thirty terrorists in there.

"In position. Do you see us?" I swung my sniper scope and watched as my teammates stopped behind the wall of the diner.

"Yeah, we see you. Ready to engage targets." Jade calmly replied.

"Engaging in three." Captain Ponder said. My finger settled on the trigger and I took a deep breath and counted the intervals between my heartbeats.

"Engage." The order came just as I found the interval between my hearbeats. Emptying my magazines, I quickly dropped four guys at the back door at the same time that the rest of the team blew through the last wall and dropped the remaining guy. I quickly reloaded and shot the machine gunner on the rooftop. Dipping my rifle slightly, I fired two shots, hitting the two terrorists in the front just as they were about to run back into the diner. Eight down. Twenty two to go.

Inside the rest of the team began to wreak havoc, using flashbangs and shotguns to great effect.

"Phil, two enemies at first floor window." I reloaded again and adjusted my aim just as rounds began to whistle past our heads. These guys had really good aim.

"Shit." I muttered as I shot the two offenders at the first floor window. Finishing my magazine and dropping another two, I quickly relocated to a perch twenty meters below. Meanwhile, an intense firefight ensured in the diner. The all clear came a couple of minutes later.

"Room clear. Twenty one enemies taken out. Johnson, Bryne, Carver, Willis, Martinez and Brown is down. Moving onto last room. Phil, mark the targets' location, we are moving in." Captain Ponder said.

Another explosion, and then lots of gunfire. I watched the firefight closely and smiled as the last opposing member fell. Even though two thirds of our team fell, we won this War Game.

"Congratulations, Anvil Three. You have just earned your mission. Assemble at HIGHCOM HQ tomorrow at 0800 hours for pre-mission briefing." Lieutenant Colonel Anderson stood up and shook Captain Ponder's hand while battalion medics were busy swiping TTR batons over the bodies, 'reviving' them.

"Good job, Anvil Three. Gather on me." Captain Ponder said, his tone slightly pained as he was also shot by a TTR round.

"Hey, Jade. Let's climb down." I walked down the stairs slowly, sometimes stopping to look at the view. Wondering about the victory we just got and what kind of mission we would receive.

I was about twenty meters from the ground when the tower began to shake violently.

"Err, Captain. What is happening?" I asked, struggling to keep my footing.

"Earthquake. Take cover!" Someone shouted.

I did the only thing I could: grip the bar of the stairs as hard as I could.

"Jade, you safe?" I roared into TEAMCOM as the rumble grew louder and louder. In the distance I saw trees tumbling down. I received a green light in answer. The tower shook more and more violently and I gripped the bar harder.

The bar snapped.

The next shake threw me off the stairs into open air. Grunting with every effort, I twisted as well as I could to one side so I wouldn't land on my head, but I was only partially successful. I was going to land on my ankles.

I landed, heel first then knees. The impact shook every bone in my body and at the same time I could feel my ankles snap under the force of the impact. I crumpled to the ground, stars swimming in front of my eyes. The pain threatened to overwhelm my mind.

The last thing I saw was Jade jumping from the tower and shouting intelligibly at me.

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"Can you hear me?" An unfamiliar voice whispered urgently in my ear.

"Who is this?" I groggily asked, feeling the aftereffects of painkillers and a really funny feeling in my legs.

"My name is Doctor Natalie Adams. I am your doctor. You just suffered a severe injury to both of your legs. I just injected bone knitting polymer into the site of your injuries. How are you feeling?" The female voice, firm and urgent, sounded unusually young and tender.

"I feel like shit. How long till my ankles are fine?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed, trying to remember what happened after I blacked out.

"Three hours at most. Your injuries are not as severe as some. And you can open your eyes now." A small chuckle and the sound of someone dropping into a chair.

I opened my eyes and squinted against the brightness of the light. Slowly, my attending doctor focused into view. Like her voice, she looked young, but there was a maturity in her eyes that spoke volumes about her experiences. I sat up, feeling somewhat embarrassed to show weakness in front of the doctor.

"Woah, easy there. Lie down. You also tore some of your back muscle in the fall. So don't exert those muscles too much while they are healing." She put a hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me down.

"You in the military? You don't look military." I groaned. Oh, my back hurts like hell now.

"No, no I am not in the military. I graduated from med school about a year ago. I am currently attached to this hospital to get some experience. My supervisor decided I could be your surgeon, so here I am." She laughed.

"Hmm, too bad you don't work here. Gives me more incentive to get hurt." I smiled at her. "Can I get your number?" She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Well, sure. After you rest. I am going to induce some sleep into you. Makes your injury heal faster." She replied, changing the subject. I cursed inwardly. The last time I asked a girl out was four years ago in high school. That didn't end well. Since then, the war had occupied all of my time. So, you can tell I was pretty much inexperienced in this sort of matter.

"Thanks." I managed to answer just before I dropped into unconsciousness again.

The next time I woke, my ankles and back were already completely healed. My teammates were all there, shouting and teasing me about the accident. Jade even pulled my leg to test my reaction, so I shouted just to see her jump and laugh.

"Anvil Three, I got you guys a half-day pass so get into town and do whatever you like. That includes you too, Phil." Captain Ponder grinned.

"Thanks, Captain." I stood up and tested my ankles again. They felt as good as new, so I strapped my combat boots and walked out with the rest of the team. As we were walking in the hospital, I looked around, searching for the doctor who treated me. But there was no sign of her. I felt a little disappointed at that.

The next day, I woke up at 0600 hours and put on my Marine Dress Uniform. After all, we were going to HIGHCOM. It did well to give the brass a good first impression. Then I went to the mess hall where the rest of my team was discussing something on the news.

"Hey, Phil. We let you sleep in for a bit longer since you got that injury." Johnson said when he saw me.

"I am fine now. What's up anyways? You guys were pretty enthusiastic about something."

"We lost contact with Venezia yesterday. The last piece of news from the planet was that the Innies were on the planet. It is all over the battle net now. Navy is dispatching the Eighth Fleet to investigate. We may be going with them." Hasegawa replied.

"Venezia should be able to keep the Insurrection under control. After all, they are an Inner Colony with a one hundred-ship defense group and several Army corps stationed there." Willis chipped in.

"Nah, the Insurrectionists are up to something on Venezia. FLEETCOM wouldn't send an entire fleet if everything is under control there. Expect some shit to hit the fan." Bryne growled.

"No matter what happens to Venezia, we focus on the mission we are about to embark on. Ok?" Captain Ponder said.

"Yes sir." We replied.

"Suit up in your best damn Marine dresses. We leave in half an hour."

We rode five Warthogs to the HIGHCOM facility in New Alexandria. Dubbed the Olympic Tower, the headquarters was the largest command facility I had ever seen. More than two thousand meters in height, the tower was the second tallest building on Reach.

"That is very tall." Jade admitted, her eyes drawn to the tower itself as we walked up the stairs to the main entrance. We left our Warthogs in the guest parking lot after MPs cleared us in.

"Which general are we meeting again?" Mobuto asked.

"Don't know. Maybe not General, maybe an Admiral." Captain Ponder said darkly, which reminded me of another branch that also had its headquarters in Olympic Tower. The Office of Naval Intelligence.

Turned out it was both a General and an Admiral that we met in a secure room on floor Two Oh Two.

The Naval Lieutenant that led us into the room introduced us all first, then the two high ranking officers. "Gentlemen and ladies, this is General Smith, commanding general of Marine SOCOM," he indicated the seventy something Marine looking intently at us. "and this is Vice Admiral Stanforth, Head of Section Three, Office of Naval Intelligence." The man with a seasoned aura and a gait that indicated that he spent a lot of time in space. "If you will excuse me, I will be leaving this room. Anything you need? Coffee, tea?"

We shook our heads and offered our thanks, then waited for the flag lieutenant to leave the room.

Clearing his throat, General Smith motioned for us to sit down on the sofa while he and Admiral Stanforth sat down on high-back leather chairs opposite us.

"I have heard about you, Anvil Three. You are one of the most effective ODST teams currently in service. I know you are tired of this war, but I am going to have to ask one more mission from you. Stanforth, fill them in on the details."

"As you all know, I am in charge of every clandestine operation in the UNSC. I will cut to the chase here. Three weeks ago, we received reports from my team on Venezia that there has been a huge uprising on the Inner Colony. Days later, the whole colony has been taken over by the Insurrectionists. Turns out the whole colony, all the population and its entire military, has defected over to the Innies. The brainwashing process that turned the colony has been ongoing for the past twenty years. Problem is, the Insurrectionists on Venezia is different. They have an unusually large clandestine group. We have reasons to believe that this clandestine group have infiltrated several government offices across human held space. But that is not the most worrying part." He paused and brought up a hologram on the table. The hologram showed a flurry of activity in what looked like a shipyard and a skeleton of a warship. "Venezia is a major colony of three hundred million people, with large shipyards and weapons factories. If the planet is allowed to expand its military strength, we will be at war for another thirty years. We cannot allow that to happen. That's where you come in." Stanforth brought up another hologram, this one showing the faces of several ONI agents. "This is ONI Recon Team 66, led by Mike Spenser, a veteran intelligence officer. They will assist you on Venezia in the completion of your mission. Smith, brief them on their mission."

"With pleasure, Stanforth. Your primary mission will be the same as the one you just had in Elysium City. Hunt and kill the Insurrectionist leaders on Venezia. Your secondary objectives is to cripple Venezia's shipbuilding and arms manufacturing capabilities, temporarily or permanently if you can, using any means possible. Now, FLEETCOM has received word of the Venezian Insurrection and is now planning a major offensive to retake the planet. As you have heard, Eighth Fleet will be dispatched to Venezia in two weeks' time. What you didn't hear is that two point five million Marines have been assembled to launch a planet wide attack on Venezia. You will go to Venezia immediately, using an ONI prowler to sneak you in and rendezvous with Spenser's team. They will direct you to your targets. Any questions?"

"Admiral, can we trust Spenser and his team? I mean, they have been on Venezia for a long time, right? How do you know if they haven't turned to the Insurrectionists?" Johnson said, staring coldly into the Admiral's eyes. It was then that I realized the two of them, possibly Bryne as well, knew each other. I remembered that Johnson and Bryne were in black ops together once, so the Admiral was probably their CO during that time.

"Yes, we can trust them. Spenser and his team provided the intel on the Innie leaders in Elysium City, which let to your mission, Johnson. They have been working for ONI for a long time. So no worries there." the Admiral replied, steel in his voice, matching Johnson's stare with his own. The tense moment ended as soon as General Smith cleared his throat. Pressing a button on the table, Stanforth called his flag lieutenant. "Fitzgerald, send Commander Emerson in please."

Commander Emerson, it turned out, was the commander of the ONI prowler that we were using as a ride to Venezia. "Is everything clear on the mission? Nothing, good. Follow Commander Emerson to his Pelican."

We saluted the two officers and walked out of the briefing room. While riding the elevator to the VTOL pads on top of Olympic Tower, we chatted with the Commander about his ship.

"My ship, Aladdin, is a special one. She has experimental pulse laser weaponries, a HEV drop bay, and an enlarged hangars. Her sensors can detect anything." He continued about five more minutes, telling us about the ship's crew, where our living quarters were, what kind of weapons we would have. "And lastly, you guys will have access to three HAVOK class nuclear warheads. Brass must feel that your mission is pretty important to give you that kind of ordnance."

We reached the VTOL pad and piled into the Pelican waiting for us. "Han, take us up to the Aladdin. Radio ahead and tell the crew to prepare for the voyage." the Commander said to the pilot of the Pelican.

"Yes, sir."The pilot, Han, replied. "Message sent, sir. Get ready for the flight, ladies and gentlemen."

The Pelican took off and flew straight up. The pilot was good, easily navigating through the heavy traffic in space above New Alexandria. Looking out of a window, I could see the 8th Fleet assembling around a cluster of Orbital Defense Platforms about a thousand kilometers away. Closer, the luxury liner National Holiday was connected to a space port. Dozens of taxis scrambled about the liner, carrying passengers and cargo from the space port and from the ground.

Suddenly, there was darkness showed through the window, then the familiar grey colour of UNSC warship interior. We had just arrived on the Aladdin.

"This way, Anvil Three. Let me show you the bridge before leading you to your quarters." Anderson invited us. We followed him through the ship, familiarizing ourselves with the ship design. The prowler was a small vessel, only about a hundred and sixty meters long and with a crew of ninety. We attracted a lot of stares from the Navy swabbies, who wasn't accustomed to seeing ODSTs on their ship. Well, in a few days' time, they will be.

We reached the bridge, which is located in the front of the ship. There was a large viewscreen, designed to polarize when bright light hit it.

"Commander on deck." A sharpish looking female Lieutenant shouted and snapped to attention.

"At ease. This is Anvil Three, Marine special forces. They will be accompanying us on our mission to Venezia. So get familiar with them and try to make them at home."

"Yes sir." Came the reply from all of the bridge crew.

I had never been on the bridge of a Navy vessel before, so I wandered around, staying out of the way of the crew while looking at the instruments on the consoles. Some of them showed navigation data, while others showed weapons and stealth systems. The forward viewscreen showed the massive one thousand two hundred meters long National Holiday. The orbital taxis were all gone now and I could see the ship's engine flaring up.

"Slipspace capacitor charged at one hundred percent, Commander." The Navigation officer reported.

"Alright, take us to the Superior Interstellar Jump Point." Anderson ordered.

"Aye, aye. Revving up engines."

In the background, the prowler's engines started up and the ship began to move. I instinctively reached for a bar to balance myself. I wasn't comfortable with space travel because I felt helpless in space. The ship closed with the National Holiday and turned.

"What is that?" Langdon pointed, his eyes squinting. I looked in the direction he was pointing at and easily spotted the three orbital taxis moving very fast towards to National Holiday.

Langdon's comment attracted the crew's attention, who were now looking intently at the three taxis.

"Probably some late arriving passengers urging the taxi pilots to move faster." Anderson said off-handedly. The taxis flew closer and closer to the liner, and were not slowing down.

"Sir, no life detected on the taxis." The Lieutenant who spoke furrowed his brows. "In fact, I am getting signatures of explosives. Huge amount of explosives."

There was silence on the bridge as we digested the news.

"Hail National Holiday and tell them to begin evasive maneuvers now!" Anderson screamed.

But it was too late. A bright flash blinded us a second before the viewscreen polarized. Then the shockwave hit us a moment later, shaking the entire ship. A few of my teammates stumbled about, quickly finding their balance. We looked at each other, the rare expression of dread on our faces.

"Depolarize the viewscreen!" Anderson roared. The viewscreen depolarized and a horrible sight greeted us.

The National Holiday, once an elegant liner rich in history, was blown in half by the force of the explosion. Thousands of bodies poured out of the breach into space and fires engulfed entire decks. The two halves of the ship began to dip then, pulled by the strong gravitational force of Reach, dived straight down into the atmosphere of Reach.

"Sir, receiving transmission on open channel...it..it is the National Holiday," Operations Officer said. "Putting it on ship-wide COM."

"This is the Captain of the National Holiday. My ship has broken in two and are now reentering atmosphere. All ships stay out of my path. Luxury yacht Mockingbird, advise you divert to course 260..." We listened as the Captain redirected all vessels from his dying ship's path with the calmness of a man knowing he was about to die. Fragments of the ship continued to break off in large chunks.

"Scramble our Pelicans and SKT-21s and search for survivors." Anderson said, his tone grim, knowing as we all do that it would be too late for the victims.

The National Holiday disappeared under the clouds and a minute later, twin mushroom clouds drove the clouds away.

"Confirmed impact, National Holiday completely destroyed." The Operations Officer punched his console and held his head while we, who had seen many horrors on the battlefield, stood by stoically. You might think we lost our humanity since we did not show any emotions, but this was how we deal with the things we had seen. By accepting it.

"There is only one thing we can do now. Find the bastards who did this and make them pay. For now, I suggest that we continue with our mission, Commander." After a few moment of silence, Captain Ponder said gently.

"You are right. Picard, chart a course for the SIJP. We are leaving now." The crew snapped back to attention, reminded that they still had a mission to complete.

"SIJP reached. Beginning slipspace jump sequence. Jump in twenty seconds." Picard reported.

"Wait, stop the sequence. Detecting massive slipspace rupture off Tribute." The Operations Officer said.

"Stop the sequence, Picard. Phillips, magnify on the slipspace rupture and see who our visitors are."

I looked at my teammates, alarmed. Massive slipspace ruptures were a rare thing, caused only by an asteroid that somehow got into slipspace...or a fleet.

Two hundred warships entered normal space two thousand kilometers from Tribute.

"Those are ours, sir. But the Eighth Fleet is all here and there aren't any scheduled...Oh my god."

Phillips' face paled.

"What is it?" Anderson snapped.

"The ships, they...they are from Venezia. This whole thing, the National Holiday, was just a diversion."Phillips said, his eyes wide.

"Get me FLEETCOM." Anderson ordered. A hundred UNSC ships were orbitting Tribute, but they were caught off guard and stood no chance against the large Innie fleet. All of them were destroyed in the opening salvo. After the small skirmish, the Innie fleet established a perimeter around Tribute. Thousands of dropships flew out of the ships and to the planet, heading for the major cities.

"Commander." It was Admiral Stanforth who received our call. "Your primary mission has been postponed. Take the ship to Tribute and deploy Anvil Three onto the planet to combat Innie troops."

"Yes, sir. How many Innie troops are there?" Captain Ponder asked.

"Preliminary count is about five full divisions. Eighth Fleet and their accompanying Marines are mobilizing to combat this new threat. Army forces on Tribute will hold the enemy force at bay. Anvil Three, give them hell. Out."Admiral Stanforth growled.

"With pleasure sir. All right, Anvil Three. Move to the prep room and prepare for a drop. Go go go." Ponder roared. We ran towards the HEV bay while the ship's AI fed us news of the battle on Tribute. The Aladdin turned and plotted a course for Tribute, scything through space besides the Eighth Fleet.

The Battle of Tribute had begun.

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you for the review, casquis! **

**I went against Halo lore on the Insurrection because I felt that the Insurrection should be far larger and far more devastating than it is. Humanity relearned how to fight large wars after several hundred years of peace which will eventually allow humanity to resist against the Covenant Empire for so long. **

**The Insurrectionists in the alternate universe I am basing my story in is far more powerful and far more organised. As I said earlier, there are two Insurrections. the Outer Colonies Insurrection, which is a rebellion by a hundred Outer Colonies headed by the Insurrectionist government on Eridanus II, lasted from 2492 to 2524. The Venezian Insurrection, caused by the defection of Venezia and later Mamore, Talitsa and several other Inner Colonies.**

**Next chapter will feature the battle of Tribute. The battle will introduce several characters as well as several deaths, and will set the stage for the first contact on Harvest. **

**Thank you for reading. God bless you all. Kylar out. **


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